To coincide with the funeral of King Constantine II, a Serafimerringning ceremony was held in Riddarholmskyrkan in Stockholm in honour the late King of Greece. Constantine was a knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim, an honour he was presented with by King Gustaf VI Adolf in September 1964.
The Order of the Seraphim is one of the country’s highest honours, awarded for outstanding services to Sweden. The order was established in 1748 by King Fredrik I, and is the oldest of Sweden’s royal orders. It consists of both a knight class and a commander class.
When a knight dies, the Seraphim Toll rings uninterrupted for an hour on the day of the funeral.
The order is awarded to both Swedish and foreign citizens, and only the king can appoint members. The Seraphim Order is also linked to an honorary membership, which can be awarded to people who have made a significant effort for the order. The order is known for its blue and yellow band and the seraphim emblem.
The Vice Chancellor of the Order, Per Sandin, delivered a eulogy for the late king. The ceremony includes a traditional bell ringing in Riddarholm Church in Stockholm. The ringing continues uninterrupted for one hour between 12:00 and 13:00 and takes place on the day of the funeral for a knight, or member, of the Order of the Seraphim.
During the ceremony, the church bell rings throughout the capital for an hour as a tradition on the same day of the funeral. The King and Queen of Sweden was in Athens on Monday and participated in the funeral service.
The ceremony in Stockholm was open to the public.
